In connection with an organization or the like having customers, members, clients, or the like (hereinafter, ‘clients’), it may be the case that the organization provides a site or the like that may be accessed by the clients of such organization by way of an appropriate corresponding communications channel. For example, it may be that the organization maintains a web site accessible by clients of the organization by way of an inter-network communications medium such as the Internet. With such a site, then, each client of the organization may access information from the organization, perhaps including information relevant to such client.
Accordingly, if the organization is an insurance company and the client is a customer having one or more policies with the insurance company, the site may allow the customer to access information from the insurance company regarding the policies, such as whether a payment has been received or whether a policy covers a particular loss, among other things. In addition, the site may allow the customer to access information from the insurance company regarding the availability and cost of an additional policy, among other things. Similarly, if the organization is a financial institution and the client is an account holder having one or more accounts with the financial institution, the site may allow the account holder to access information from the financial institution regarding the accounts, such as whether a deposit has been received or whether interest has been credited, among other things. In addition, the site may allow the account holder to access information from the financial institution regarding the availability of an additional account or a loan, among other things. Likewise, if the organization is a merchandise retailer and the client is a purchaser of the retailer, the site may allow the purchaser to access information from the retailer regarding particular merchandise available, among other things. In addition, the site may allow the purchaser to access information from the retailer regarding whether a returned item has been received, among other things.
Notably, a site of an organization can provide particular information to a client of the organization only if the site has access to such particular information and if the client can successfully navigate through the site to find such particular information. Thus, if the client requires particular information, the organization provides such particular information at the site thereof, and the client locates such particular information at the site, then the client is satisfied. However, if the client requires particular information and the organization does not provide such particular information at the site thereof, the client cannot locate such particular information at the site, or the client has questions about such particular information, then the client is not satisfied.
In the case where the client is not satisfied because the organization does not provide such particular information at the site thereof, the client cannot locate such particular information at the site, or the client has questions about such particular information, the client oftentimes can attempt to obtain the particular information from a different communications channel. Typically, although by no means exclusively, the different communications channel is a telephone channel, whereby the organization provides a telephone-based system for the client to call the organization to obtain information. As is generally known, in such a telephone-based system it may be that the client calls the organization by way of a particular telephone number to speak to a service representative or agent or the like that is provided by the organization for the specific purpose of servicing telephone calls from clients.
Oftentimes, prior to speaking to such a service representative, the calling client is first routed within the telephone-based system according to one or more routing criteria. Such routing is generally known, and may be performed when the organization has several areas of operations, each of which has corresponding sets of service representatives. For example, if the organization is a financial institution, it may be that a call from a client is routed to different sets of service representatives depending on whether the call relates to a deposit account, a loan, or a credit card, among other things. Similarly, if the organization is an insurance company, it may be that a call from a client is routed to different sets of service representatives depending on whether the call relates to home insurance, auto insurance, or life insurance, among other things. In any case, such routing may be performed by way of a series of menus presented to a calling client, or by other appropriate mechanisms.
Notably, when a client calls the organization to speak to a service representative after not being able to obtain particular information from the site of the organization, the client has already effectively used an appreciable amount of time and effort at the site. Despite this, the telephone-based system of the organization is unaware of the previous activity that the calling client undertook at the site and thus has to start anew with the calling client to route same to an appropriate service representative who can service the calling client. Of course, such starting anew requires more time and effort on the part of the client, which as should be understood may add to the dissatisfaction experienced by the client.
To compound matters, such starting anew also requires time and effort on the part of the telephone-based system and by extension the organization. Particularly if the organization is relatively large and has many different sets of service representatives to whom the call may be routed, the time and effort spent to route each call by the telephone-based system can quickly add up to a considerable expense, even over a relatively short period of time. Moreover, such considerable expense can be compounded when it is considered that the telephone-based system misroutes an appreciable number of calls, perhaps on the order of 10-20 percent. As should be understood, such misrouted calls cause clients additional dissatisfaction and also require time and effort be expended by the service representatives who have to re-route the calls.
Accordingly, a need exists for a cross-channel method and system that addresses the current shortcomings above and others.